55 Dunbarton Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached two-bay two-storey dwelling, end-terrace in group of three situated at the end of the larger street terrace, built c.1860, located to the south side of Dunbarton Street, Gilford. Rectangular-on-plan with two-storey canted bay to west gable.

Roof is pitched natural slate with blue-black clay roll-top ridge tiles; smooth rendered chimney with stone coping and clay pots; ogee profile rainwater goods supported on paired corbels. Walls are ruled-and-lined render over painted chamfered plinth. Windows are square-headed timber 6/6 sliding sashes; all have painted masonry sills, unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces north-east and comprises square-headed entrance containing timber six-panelled door surmounted by plain glazed fanlight at left; two windows at right; three windows at first floor. Round-arched opening at left (shared with HB17/01/013B) containing wrought-iron bootscraper.

North-west gable is abutted by a two-storey canted bay containing, at each floor, two windows to north-west face, single window to north and south cheeks; ground floor windows in smooth architraves.

South-west elevation is abutted at ground floor by a lean-to return; remainder not viewed.

South-east elevation is abutted by adjacent building (HB17/01/013B).

Setting:

The building is accessed directly from street at north; enclosed garden to west accessed via metal gate within plinth wall supporting wrought-iron railings; garden enclosed to west and south by hedging.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The dwelling is one of a terrace of three houses that was built c.1864 on land leased from John Walsh McMaster, partner in the firm of Dunbar McMaster & Co of Gilford Mill. The buildings are first shown on the third edition OS map of 1901-2. The buildings are not listed in Griffith’s Valuation of 1863, but do appear in the Annual Revisions of the following year. The mill owners began to build houses for their workforce almost immediately the mill opened, but these were largely basic two-up, two-down and back-to-back dwellings. In 1841, there were 111 houses in Gilford, by 1871, there were 559. (Cairns)

The terrace in Dunbarton Street, constituted three of the 81 houses built between 1861 and 1871, when population growth had reached its peak. The houses are larger than other mill-owned property and were often occupied by school teachers. Provision of suitable accommodation for schoolteachers working in the mill school may have been the reason for constructing the terrace, there being little housing available which fell between the grand mansions of proprietors and the humbler worker’s kitchen houses. (Logan)

The double-height canted bay to the western facade of the end terrace makes this house larger than the others, and it was given a slightly higher valuation at £10. The first occupant to be noted is William Valentine in 1864, followed by Thomas Anderson (1880) and William Manwell (1898). William Manwell, a native of county Galway, lived in the house for some years and is noted in the 1901 census as inhabiting the house with his widowed mother from Scotland and his niece. Manwell was a National School teacher and is likely to have been employed in the Mill School which had been opened in 1846 as an important means of providing educated workers for the Dunbar McMaster mill. By 1911 Manwell had married, at the comparatively late age of 46 and the couple had two young sons. By this time Manwell’s niece had also qualified as a National School teacher. The house was designated 2nd class and had six rooms. Manwell left the house on his retirement to live in Lisburn and the house was taken over by Joseph W Heaney in 1927. (Will of William Manwell, died 18th September 1932)

Today the house is privately owned.

References:
Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/26/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/26/2 Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/26/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/26/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-21
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/25A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
6. 1901 census online
7. 1911 census online
8. PRONI Will of William Manwell, died 18th September 1932

Secondary Sources
1. Cairns, A “The Church and Community of St John the Evangelist Gilford, Sesquicentennial 1850-2000” Lurgan: Inglewood
Press, 2002
2. Logan, R A “A Window on the Past, A History of Gilford County Down” Banbridge Chronicle, (n.d.)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Attached two-bay two-storey mid-terrace dwelling, built c.1864. One of a terrace of three, it has group value with Nos 51 & 53 (HB17/01/013B&C). Three are also links with Gilford Mill*HB17/01/020A-E). Much of original fabric and detailing survives, and the terrace is a good example of the type of small town houses that are becoming more rare.

General comments

This record is part of a group. Refer to HB17/01/013A&B.